


An International Arrangement

by SUNicorn (Strider_Sis)



Category: Free!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Omegaverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 05:37:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5527988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strider_Sis/pseuds/SUNicorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the sole omega of the royal family of Eudyptes, it was inevitable that Nagisa would be married off one day to some young lord or another.  So when he is informed that he is now formally engaged to the Crown Prince of Orcin, he isn't surprised.  He should probably be more excited about it, but he can't really bring himself to consider the matter with anything but trepidation.</p>
<p>After all, just because he's engaged doesn't mean he has to like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An International Arrangement

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beir/gifts).



> So, this fic was originally the brainchild of tumblr users [themultifandomnerd](http://themultifandomnerd.tumblr.com/) and [beir](http://beirry.tumblr.com/). When I found out Nerd wasn't planning on actually writing it, I took the idea at the beginning of November and ran with it. After much worldbuilding and plotting and writing and revising, here it is.
> 
> I'll be attempting to update on a bi-monthly or monthly basis. New tags will be added by chapter, and the rating should eventually change, so keep an eye on those! Shout-out to my beta-readers, [themultifandomnerd](http://archiveofourown.org/users/themultifandomnerd/pseuds/themultifandomnerd) and [hazelfern](http://archiveofourown.org/users/hazelfern/pseuds/hazelfern) for being absolute gems throughout this whole process. Thanks for listening to me ramble and being my sounding boards and also being horrible enablers. You guys are the best.
> 
> Merry Christmas Beir. I hope you like your present.

Rei huffed in annoyance as he wiped sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.  He squinted in the harsh sunlight as it reflected off the waves.  He’d been thundering around the ship for at least an hour now, hunting for his wayward charge in a game of hide-and-seek he hadn’t signed up to play.  It wasn’t the first time either.  His pupil liked history, but the moment you tried to segue into another subject he desperately needed to learn, his attention waned.  It was getting harder and harder to corral the young man into his cabin for a day of learning, and this morning at breakfast he’d managed to give Rei the slip.  How he’d done it was beyond him, but one thing was certain.  There were only so many places to hide on this god-forsaken ship, and Rei had checked them all.

Starting at the bow, he’d combed every inch of the deck, right up to the stern.  There wasn’t even really a place to remain completely unseen in on deck, but Rei was thorough.  Finding nothing, he’d gone down a level, hunting between cannons and cabins, ropes and barrels.  Then he went down another level.  And another.  Four levels of ship, and he’d searched them all once on the way down through the ship and a second time on the way back up.  Every nook and cranny, Rei had stuck his face into.  Every cabin had been explored, the galley thoroughly searched.  He’d even lifted the lid on all the empty barrels, and still, nothing.  Rei was tired, and sweaty, and at his wit’s end.

 

“My lord,” he cried, defeated.  “My lord Hazuki Nagisa, you have lessons to attend to!”

An exasperated groan from overhead caught his attention, and Rei squinted against the bright blue of the sky as he attempted to locate its source. 

“Rei-chan, I keep telling you to call me Nagisa!”

 

It was then that Rei realized he had made two grave mistakes that day.

The first: he had not checked the rigging, even though he knew Nagisa to be something of a spidermonkey.  

The second: he had foolishly trusted the crew to tell him where his wayward royal charge was if they knew.

He frowned disapprovingly up at the crow’s nest, where he could barely make out an unruly head of blonde hair hanging over the edge.  

 

“And I keep telling you that it would be extremely disrespectful for someone of my station to do so.  Now will you please come down from there?  We’ve wasted enough of the day on this foolishness as it is!”

Rei could not see Nagisa well enough to make out his expression, but when the young man spoke next, he could hear the pout in his voice.

 

“No!  You’re just going to make me sit in that stuffy cabin and drone on and on about manners and etiquette and cultural differences and shoot me down whenever I have something to say!  You won’t even smile, you’ll just snap closed whatever dumb book you’re reading and push your stupid glasses up your nose and glare while you tell me not to be ridiculous!”

Rei growled in annoyance.  He’d been having this disagreement with the young prince for weeks now.  

 

“If you had something of relevance to say I would not do so!” he cried back.  Immediately, he regretted his words.  Even if he was upset, that was too harsh, too insensitive.  

Nagisa was quiet for a moment before shouting “Rei-chan you idiot!”  He then disappeared back over the edge of the crow’s nest.  The crew members on deck were staring at Rei, aghast.  Self-conscious, he lifted a hand to adjust his glasses, and cleared his throat.

 

“Your high- Nagisa-kun,” he called, his mouth awkward around the overly-familiar honorific.  No response.  He tried again.  “I just said something horribly out-of turn and rude.  It was said in frustration, but that is no excuse.  I have been too hard on you.  I apologize.”

 

It was quiet for a moment.  The entirety of his audience on the deck seemed to hold their breath.  Finally, Nagisa peeked back over the edge of the crow’s nest.  “You mean it?”

Rei nodded.  “I am most sincere.”  He still could not make out Nagisa’s face against the brightness of the sky, but after a moment the head bobbed out of sight.  Seconds later there he was again, his small figure scrambling down the rigging from the crow’s nest to the deck.  Sighing in relief, Rei walked forward to meet him at the base, the crew members he passed smiling and finally going back to their duties.

 

When Nagisa joined him on the deck, Rei attempted a small smile.  “Am I forgiven?” he asked.  He received a beaming smile in return.  

“Of course, Rei-chan!  After all, you finally called me by name!”

Rei cleared his throat at the reminder.  “Yes, well…”  He trailed off, unsure where he had been going with that.  Nagisa giggled happily.  

“No going back to using ‘my lord’ now, Rei-chan!  If you do I’ll get mad!”  The tutor sighed in resignation.  

“Very well, Nagisa-kun.  Now, will you please join me in your cabin for your lessons?”  Nagisa pouted.  

“Aw, do I have to?” he whined.  

Rei fought the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m afraid so.”

 

* * *

 

Back in the cabin it was hard to focus.  The hot, stuffy air made Nagisa lethargic, and even though Rei attempted to make the day’s lesson interesting, he couldn’t focus.  As he glared at the book before him in frustration, one of his hands came up to rub absently at his neck.  Rei stiffened, his nostrils flaring.  “Nagisa-kun!” he cried.

Nagisa looked up at his agitated tutor, his brow furrowed in confusion.  “What is it, Rei-chan?”  Rei was flushed to the tips of his ears.

“Please refrain from scenting yourself!”  Nagisa blinked, suddenly registering the hand at his neck.

“Oh.  Sorry, Rei-chan!  It wasn’t on purpose.”  Nagisa lowered the offending hand, doing his best to silence the instincts that cried out at the loss of pressure.  Rei sighed, pushing his glasses up.  

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but it is highly inappropriate to scent yourself amongst those who are not of your pack.  I suppose it cannot be helped this time, since you have not had an opportunity to do so in a while, but please at least try to be more aware of your actions.”  Nagisa tried on an apologetic smile to hide how much he wanted to snap at Rei that it wasn’t his fault his scent glands were backed up and hurting.  

“I’ll try, Rei-chan,” he managed, and with a put-upon sigh, Rei went back to the lesson.  Nagisa tried to stay focused, but with the oppressive heat of the room and discomfort of his scent glands, his thoughts once again drifted.  

 

He’d had countless lessons with Rei like this one back at home, in a bigger, more comfortable room.  It had been easier to focus there, in the pleasant chill that stone, shadow and a cold climate brought.  Easier to snuggle down into a chair and listen to Rei lecture and ramble and go off on tangents.  Easier to sit there for hours reading and writing and asking his tutor the occasional question.  

Nagisa liked Rei better than any other tutor he’d ever had.  Not only was he the youngest tutor he’d ever had, he was infinitely more interesting, bringing a passion to each subject Nagisa had never witnessed before.  He’d encouraged Nagisa’s interest in history, prompting him to dig deeper, analyze further, look for patterns and lessons to be learned as the fire roared in the hearth, keeping them just-barely warm enough in the winter months.  

He’d come to Eudyptes last July, bearing a letter from Orcin.  Rei had knelt before Nagisa in the throne room as his parents and sisters watched on, and offered him one of the two engagement presents that accompanied the letter on a velvet pillow.  Nagisa’s mother had just announced the good news folded within those pages which had traveled so far to reach them, her tone barely concealing her enthusiasm.  Nagisa had wanted to knock both present and pillow out of the man’s hands the moment he laid eyes on it.  It was so pink, so feminine, and he’d hated it immediately.  The longer Nagisa failed to make a move, the more nervous the man kneeling before him seemed to get.  He looked ready to puke by the time Nagisa reached out to lift the beautifully crafted choker from the pillow.  With hands shaking in rage, he’d held it up to his neck and turned so his sisters could see, forcing himself to smile as he asked, “What do you think?  Does it suit me?”

As his sisters gushed about how well it suited him, cooing over how it brought out his eyes, the man behind him rose and backed away down the steps of the dais.  Nagisa was saved from the comments on his feminine features when the man cleared his throat and announced Nagisa’s second gift.  Relieved and a little surprised, Nagisa turned, his hands falling back to his sides.  He nearly dropped the choker when he saw what he was being given.  Just big enough to harbor intricate details, but small enough one could conceivably travel with it, was a gold-framed portrait of his fiance.  

Calm, drooping green eyes peered out under warm, light brown hair.  His shoulders were broad, filling out the jacket of the naval uniform he wore.  Nagisa’s frustration grew as he met that painted gaze with his own.  There was no way his fiance actually looked that good.  It had to be an exaggeration.  He knew his own portrait, the one his parents had sent with the marriage proposal, had been.  It had played up his delicate features and omegan curves until he barely recognized himself.  The artist had even put Nagisa in a dress, even though he hadn’t worn one while posing for the painting.  The only way you’d know Nagisa wasn’t actually female would be to read the accompanying letter, offering the hand of _Prince_ Hazuki Nagisa, omega and sole _son_ of the Hazuki’s, in marriage.

Surely, based on that overwhelming evidence, Crown Prince Tachibana Makoto wasn’t all that he seemed to be in the portrait being offered to Nagisa.  The young man forced a smile and thanked the man presenting it to him, promising that he would treasure it.  It was a promise he did not intend to keep.

 

Eventually, the tortuous presentation ended, and the choker and portrait were swept away to Nagisa’s room.  The choker to be carefully stored in his sparsely filled jewelry box, and the portrait to be hung somewhere he’d have to look at it daily.  And look at it daily, he did.  It was the first thing Nagisa saw when he sat up in bed in the morning for months, and the last thing he saw as he got into bed to sleep.  Each time his eyes grazed over the painted bust, he glared.  When his sisters teased him about what a dreamboat his fiance was, he moped quietly.  Whenever anyone mentioned his impending departure in the spring, or praised him for doing his duty, he wanted to wail in despair.  The servants he overheard chattering about it seemed to think it was incredibly romantic, and that he was the luckiest omega in the world to not have to _look_ for his ideal mate.  Each time he heard such sentiments, he grit his teeth into as convincing a smile as he could manage, and asked for another cup of tea until he was sick of the beverage.

The choker and portrait hadn’t been the only things to stay.  Ryuugazaki Rei, the man who had delivered the letter and presented the gifts to Nagisa stayed as well.  At first Nagisa had been bitter and cold towards the man who had brought the parchment sealing his fate.  However, as time went on, he couldn’t help but start to grow attached.  His enthusiasm for knowledge and his love for both his country and Nagisa’s slowly endeared Rei to him, until the young prince could be bitter no longer.  Now, a year later, Nagisa had finally gotten him to call him by his name for the first time.  On a ship, in the middle of the ocean, heading to the country he would live in for the rest of his life.

Despite his usual adventurous curiosity, Nagisa wasn’t looking forward to it.

 

* * *

 

The sun had set long ago, the moon now reflecting on the water instead of the sun.  The steady, constant rocking of the ship across the ocean was calming, soothing.  Yet Nagisa lay there glaring at the ceiling.  His blankets were kicked down to the end of his bunk, and he was flopped naked across the firm mattress, but still he was _too hot_.  Even the open window wasn’t helping, the small breeze not enough to soothe the humid sauna Nagisa’s room had become.  It certainly didn’t help that his scent glands were aching, clogged from a lack of stimulation.  The young man rolled onto his side with a huff to scowl at the door to his stuffy room.  He’d been cooped up in here much too often for his tastes over the course of their long journey, and he was sick of it.  It was a big boat, even if it was a little crowded with the crew, and the idea of being confined to such a small part of it for a moment longer made him want to tear at his hair and scream in frustration.  

Growling, he pushed himself upright, his legs swinging to hang over the side of the bunk.  Grabbing at his nightgown, he pulled it over his head and slid his arms through the sleeves before standing.  The feeling of bare feet against the cool wood of the floor was a relief.  He padded to the door and opened it carefully, peeking out.  Seeing no one there, he slipped from the cabin and closed the door quietly behind him before making his way out onto the deck.

 

It was much nicer outside.  The night breeze blowing across the water ruffled Nagisa’s nightgown, cooling the sweat on his skin and making him shiver.  He couldn’t help but sigh in relief, even as he hugged himself against the sudden chill.  He wandered further out onto the deck, enjoying the scent of salt on the air and the gentle sound of waves lapping against the ship.  There were no lanterns lit on deck the way they were just after dark before the crew settled for the night, and the sky was clear of clouds.  This meant that Nagisa had an undisturbed view of the night sky, and what a view it was.  

 

The galaxies stretched out overhead in great, sparkling sweeps, scattered artfully across the heavens.  Nagisa found a spot on the deck that looked comfortable enough and sat down, leaning back on his hands with legs splayed out before him to stare in wonder up at the sky.  He spent long moments there staring in quiet awe and rubbing absently at his neck until the night watch found him.

 

“Your highness!” the young man exclaimed, clearly alarmed at Nagisa’s presence, above-decks and not where he was supposed to be.  His nostrils flared, taking in the light scent in the air around Nagisa before the breeze lifted it away.  Nagisa beamed shamelessly up at him.  

“Hello!” he chirped cheerfully, his mood much-improved now that he wasn’t melting in his too-hot cabin and he’d managed to at least partially scent himself.  

“What are you doing here?” the sailor asked, bewildered.  “You’re supposed to be asleep!”  Nagisa shrugged, unbothered.

“I couldn’t.  I was too hot, so I came out here for some fresh air.”  This didn’t seem to reassure the man at all.  If Nagisa remembered right, his name was Minami Kazuki, and he was a lieutenant.

 

“Couldn’t you have just opened your window?” he asked, and Nagisa sighed at the suggestion.  

“I did,” he explained, “It didn’t help.”

“So you came out here to sprawl on the deck in your nightgown.  If Ryugazaki-san knew, he’d have a fit.”  Nagisa giggled at that.

“What Rei-chan doesn’t know won’t hurt him, lieutenant!” he chirped.  The lieutenant smiled. Ah, so Nagisa hadn’t been wrong about his rank.

“No, I suppose not.  But you should get back to your cabin soon.  Do you think you can sleep now?”  Nagisa frowned at the thought of going back to his small, hot, humid room.

“I doubt it.  It’s really stuffy in there.”  He looked plaintively up at the sailor.  “Can I stargaze for just a little longer?”  With a put-upon chuckle, the lieutenant shucked his jacket and draped it around Nagisa’s shoulders.  

“Alright,” he said, sitting down next to the prince.  Nagisa beamed at him.

 

“Thank you!” he cried enthusiastically, the sailor hushing him as his voice echoed over the water.  

“Just keep in mind that nearly everyone else is asleep.”  Nagisa nodded, still beaming.  When he spoke again, he was much quieter.

“I will.”  They sat together in silence for a while, lieutenant and prince staring up at the wide, wide universe above them.  Nagisa was the one to tentatively break the silence with a murmured question.  “Hey, your name’s Minami Kazuki, right?”

 

The sailor jumped, turning to stare at him in wonder.  “Yes it is, but I didn’t know you knew that.”  
  
“Of course I do!  I know the name of everyone on this ship!”  Nagisa did.  He’d made a point of learning them, since he’d be living alongside them for a few months.  “So, Kazu-chan-”

“Kazu-chan?!” Kazuki cut him off with a splutter.  Nagisa pouted, eyes going watery.

“Can I not call you that?”  Kazuki stared at him a moment before sighing.  

“I suppose it’s alright if you do.  I just wasn’t expecting it.”  Immediately the sad puppy face melted away into a joyful smile.

“Yay!  So Kazu-chan, do you know any constellations?” The young man nodded.  

“Y-yeah, yeah I do.”  He turned his gaze back to the sky and raised a hand to point, tracing out a pattern in the stars.  “Do you see those three stars that make a triangle?”  Nagisa nodded. “That’s part of the Lion.  If you trace down from the bottom tip of the triangle to that star, and then follow it to the right and around the hook there, that’s the lion’s head.  And just below it is the Crab.  See that star there?”  Nagisa nodded again.  “That’s the tip of the tail.”  A beaming smile dawned on Nagisa’s face.

“Amazing!  What other one’s do you know?”  Kazuki grinned and pointed straight up.  

Here, lean back a little, this one’s more directly overhead.  I’ll show you the Dragon.”

 

This went on for a while, Kazuki pointing out constellations and Nagisa exclaiming in excitement.  Kazuki had just pointed out the stars representing Orihime and Hikoboshi when Nagisa let out a little sigh.

 

“Your highness?” Kazuki questioned, looking over at the young man in concern.  

“Kazu-chan, do you believe in things like soulmates and true love?”  Kazuki’s eyes widened at the question, and he stared at Nagisa a moment before turning his gaze back to the stars.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” he murmured.  “I suppose I’ve been more focused on my career and my family.  Do you?”  Nagisa sighed again, and curled into himself, hugging his knees and staring at the deck.

“Rei-chan would probably say it’s impractical, and pointless to dwell on, since I’m already engaged.”

“Maybe he would.  But you’re not Ryugazaki.  What do _you_ think about all this?”  Nagisa didn’t answer for a while, staring at his toes where they peaked out from under the edge of his nightgown.  Kazuki let him mull it over, waiting quietly for him to find his words.

“I think… I do believe in those things.  And I’d like them for myself.  But no one finds their true love through arranged marriage.”  Kazuki dropped his gaze from the stars to look at Nagisa.

“And who’s to say that they don’t?” he asked.  Nagisa groaned.  

“They just don’t!  People always find their true love after some grand adventure, or rigorous test, or their true love finds them!  They come together naturally, it’s never forced!”  They were quiet for a moment after Nagisa’s outburst, Nagisa refusing to look anywhere but at his feet as he blushed at his loss of composure.

“Who’s to say this whole thing isn’t your grand adventure?” Kazuki asked, and Nagisa’s gaze snapped to him.  Kazuki smiled at him and got to his feet, groaning as he stretched.  “I think we’ve been sitting here long enough your highness, don’t you?  How about I escort you back to your cabin?”  Slowly, Nagisa nodded his agreement.

“Alright,” he murmured, and took the hand Kazuki offered to help him to his feet.  The lieutenant walked him back to his cabin door, and Nagisa slipped the jacket from his shoulders, handing it back to him.  “Thank you,” Nagisa murmured.  Kazuki smiled.

“Anytime, your highness.”  With that, he bowed, and returned belatedly to his duties.  Nagisa slipped quietly back into his still-stuffy cabin, and lay on his bed.  He stared at the ceiling in thought, Kazuki’s words spinning around and around in his head for a long time before sleep finally claimed him.

  
_Who’s to say this whole thing isn’t your grand adventure?_


End file.
